The final book of the tetralogy "The Decay of the Angel 天人五衰" was formally completed on 25th November, 1970, the morning of Mishima's dramatic coup and death (also the anniversary of Hirohito becoming regent in 1921). The "Angel" in the title refers to mortal angels Devas in Buddhism who will show (five) signs of decay before death and reincarnation. Shigekuni is now a widowed 76-year-old retiree and is still fixated on his childhood friend and his supposed reincarnation(s). He encounters a 16-year-old observation tower signalman (harking back to "The Sound of Waves") whom he believes to be the one and goes on to adopt him. The adoption became a disaster, his predictions with regards to reincarnation did not come to reality, his relationships with his friends and wider society all ended in failure with all bridges burnt and, suffering from declining health, the former judge ended up getting arrested for a lewd activity. The tetralogy ended by asking some big questions - did it all happen? Was it all blind faith? Does it matter? Given this is Mishima's final testament, the unsettling and unresolved conclusion leaves readers wondering for decades if this is his own vision of Japan, of the world and of modern life in general - one of pessimism and nihilism. One of mental satisfaction too - by destroying every bit of detail in the tetralogy, it reaches a point of transcendence and confines beauty to memory - harking back to his opus magnum "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion". This tetralogy is the ultimate culmination of Mishima's aesthetics, philosophy and literary skills. Nothing came before it and very little will likely come after.
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